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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24945994">Volunteer Program</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealCinnamom/pseuds/TheRealCinnamom'>TheRealCinnamom</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Number Generator ShortFics (Haikyuu!!) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Animal Shelter AU, Fluff, I think?, Lemme know if I should tag anything else it's been a few years since I've posted something, M/M, Only once I think but still, Teen rating is for the swear word, tw swearing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:21:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,631</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24945994</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealCinnamom/pseuds/TheRealCinnamom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yaku is a seasoned volunteer at an Animal Shelter. Lev is a new applicant. They don't get off on the right foot but Yaku falls for him anyway.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haiba Lev &amp; Yaku Morisuke, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Number Generator ShortFics (Haikyuu!!) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805419</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Volunteer Program</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've been watching Haikyuu!! since season 1 and I'm so excited to finally start being an active member of the fandom!<br/>This is my first Haikyuu!! fic, from my first result from my <a href="https://twitter.com/therealcinnamom/status/1273952078600245248">two-column random-number-generator thing</a>! There's 24 in total and it's gonna take me a while to complete it, so I hope you stick around!</p><p>Talk to me on twitter (link above)! I'm looking for more HQ friends and people to follow in general.</p><p>And lastly, thank you for reading! I'm always open to constructive criticism but please be nice because I'm sensitive~</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three years.</p><p>It’d been three years since Yaku started volunteering at the local animal shelter.</p><p>And it was an absolute dream but, unfortunately, it wasn’t perfect.</p><p>A few weeks ago, there were some changes to the volunteer program. Yaku had been getting annoyed with the previous volunteers, so he brought it up to the Director of Volunteers and she asked him if he had any suggestions.</p><p>A part of him really wished he hadn’t given her the suggestion, because now, as the most seasoned volunteer, the responsibility fell onto him.</p><p>The new volunteers would go through a few weeks of shadowing Yaku before he decided to approve them or not.</p><p>He was also in charge of looking over the applications.</p><p>Thankfully, he wasn’t expected to do all this work for free. The Director of Volunteers offered him the position as a part-time job and with summer approaching soon, Yaku took it. It’d give him something to do once volleyball season ended.</p><p>But very quickly, Yaku grew to dislike the new volunteer program.</p><p>Most of the applicants never showed up for their first day and those that did were, more often than not, late.</p><p>And today’s new volunteer was no different.</p><p>Yaku leaned back in his chair as he looked over the application again.</p><p>Lev Haiba.</p><p>They had a few things in common, so he was hoping they’d be able to get along okay.</p><p>Senior in high school, a large amount of community service hours and multiple recommendations from teachers, as well as from his guidance counselor.</p><p>The only thing they didn’t appear to have in common was punctuality.</p><p>The bell above the front door caught his attention, but he didn’t look up.</p><p>“I’m so sorry I’m late! I’m Lev, do you know where I could find Yaku? I’m supposed to be shadowing him today.”</p><p>Yaku turned around with a sigh, fully prepared to tear the guy a new one.</p><p>“That would be me, and it’s about time. Do you know how long I-”</p><p>Yaku paused mid-sentence.</p><p>Holy shit.</p><p>This was guy was tall.</p><p>Lev used Yaku’s sudden silence as another chance to continue his apology.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry about that. My alarm didn’t go off and there was a lot of traffic. Did you know there’s construction on University and 14th? It took me forever to get around that.”</p><p>Yaku was almost speechless at how much of a chatterbox this giant was.</p><p>Almost.</p><p>“Thirty two minutes, actually.” Yaku started down the nearest hallway. “We’ll have to do the tour another day. You’ll be shadowing me as I give the cats their medicine, they can’t wait much longer.”</p><p>“Okay, sorry- wait, uh... cats?”</p><p>Yaku only looked back at Lev after he opened the door to the cat-room, muffled meows immediately growing in volume and quantity.</p><p>He didn’t see the need to confirm something so obvious and instead, took the time to study Lev’s body language. Yaku also noted that Lev had to duck to avoid hitting the top of the doorframe.</p><p>“Oh... I thought- don’t you guys have any dogs? I’m not really a cat person.”</p><p>Yaku frowned but kept his voice neutral. “Our open applications were only for cat volunteers.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>They were quiet, the only sound in the room coming from their feline companions. Yaku found the sudden tension not only awkward but annoying, and opened one of the middle cages.</p><p>“As long as you’re not allergic, I still need your help- you owe me for being so late without calling.” Yaku added when Lev reached for the door handle.</p><p>Lev’s arm dropped to his side. Yaku’s guilt trip seemed to work because the giant took a few cautious steps closer. Yaku placed the small calico, Cupcake, on the counter directly across from the wall of cages and instructed Lev on how to hold her still.</p><p>“You’ve never worked with cats before? Or... held them or anything?”</p><p>Yaku didn’t mean to strike up conversion with him, but he was curious at how easily Lev heeded his instruction.</p><p>“No, not really. My sister feeds the stray cats around our house sometimes but I usually stay away.”</p><p>“How come? You look like you know what you’re doing.”</p><p>“Really? I dunno... I guess they’re just so small, I don’t want to accidentally hurt them or anything.”</p><p>Yaku snorted. “Well, I can assure you that they don’t care how abnormally tall you are. Cats are very intuitive. They’ll only avoid trusting you if you give them a reason to.”</p><p>“Well, yeah, what if I do that by accident?”</p><p>“How?” Yaku asked, closing the bottle of liquid medicine once he had enough in the syringe.</p><p>Yaku held Cupcake’s jaw open just enough so that he could maneuver the syringe inside her mouth. He could feel Lev lessen his grip on her when she started to wiggle.</p><p>“You’re not hurting her, you need to hold her tight.”</p><p>Lev was clearly hesitant but listened anyway. Yaku was halfway through administering the medicine when he spoke.</p><p>“Are you sure she’s fine? Why do you have to force-feed it to her?” His voice was softer now, and Yaku tried to bury the small bit of guilt he had from how he spoke to him earlier.</p><p>“Yes, she’s fine. She’s just really shy and hasn’t been here for that long... and I don’t know think there's many animals that would willingly take medicine.”</p><p>Lev didn’t respond. Yaku pulled the syringe away once it was empty and rewarded Cupcake with some chin scratches before reaching to replace Lev’s hand around her small body.</p><p>He fought the heat that threatened to pool in his face. It was clear as day that Lev had larger hands than him, but actually seeing them right next to each other... Yaku couldn’t help but wonder how warm his hand would feel in Lev’s.</p><p>After Cupcake was back in her cage, he disguised a deep breath to calm himself as one of relief.</p><p>“Okay, one down, five to go.” Yaku turned to Lev. “Think you got the hang of it?”</p><p>“Yeah, I think so!” Lev smiled, leaned against the counter. “I guess it’s not as daunting as I thought it’d be.”</p><p>The pair continued the same process for the next four felines, each time Lev grew more and more comfortable in handling them. It was only when they got to the fifth cat, Walnut, did Yaku grew nervous.</p><p>And Lev picked up on it.</p><p>“He looks cute, is he just difficult or something?”</p><p>“Yeah...” Yaku sighed as he opened Walnut’s cage. “That’s one word for it. He- we don’t why, but he’s really... touchy? I don’t know the right word. He doesn’t like many people and tends to scratch a lot. You might want to put on the gloves that are over by the door.”</p><p>Lev frowned, looked in the direction of the door then immediately back to Yaku. “You mean the <em>oven mits</em>?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>At the same time Lev went to get them, Walnut jumped to the floor with a small <em>prrt</em> sound. He meowed loudly, well over the other cats in the room. Yaku frowned when the maine coon brushed himself against his leg.</p><p>
  <em>Deceiving little shit.</em>
</p><p>“Uh, Yaku?”</p><p>Yaku hummed, glanced at Lev to see him holding the oven mits with an almost embarrassed look on his face.</p><p>“I think... they’re too small.”</p><p>Yaku’s brain short-circuited.</p><p><em>Whose hands were too big to fit oven mits? Was that even </em>possible<em>?</em></p><p>“Yaku?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah, um...” Yaku looked down at Walnut who was preoccupied with sniffing the lower level of cabinets. “I can get someone else to help me later, it’s- whoa, what are you doing? He’ll scratch you!”</p><p>Within seconds, Lev had returned to Yaku’s side and effortlessly picked up Walnut and placed him on the counter. The maine coon didn’t react, save for another <em>prrt</em> when his paws met the smooth surface. Lev threw Yaku a smile.</p><p>“Come on, I owe you, right?”</p><p>Yaku took a reluctant step closer, eyeing Walnut. He could hear the large cat purring but doubted it was because he was happy. Yaku extended a hand for him to sniff before retrieving a clean syringe.</p><p>“He’s purring.”</p><p>“Yeah, I still don’t trust him.”</p><p>“You’re not scared, are you?”</p><p>“There’s a difference between being scared and being apprehensive, Lev.” Yaku knew the other high schooler was just teasing him but couldn’t help the urge to defend himself anyway.</p><p>“If you say so.”</p><p>Yaku didn’t respond, too focused on the butterflies in his stomach. This wasn’t the time to develop a new crush. He had to focus- especially since his fingers were going dangerously close to Walnut’s teeth.</p><p>Still...</p><p>As he fed Walnut his medicine, Yaku couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering to Lev’s hands.</p><p>Walnut was a big cat- one of the largest maine coons the shelter had ever taken in. And Lev’s hands were practically covering his entire frame.</p><p>“Ow!” Yaku pulled his hand back at a sudden sharp pain.</p><p>“What’s wrong, are you okay?” Realizing Walnut had bit him, Lev immediately expressed concern. “Sorry, do I need to hold him tighter?”</p><p>“No, you were fine, I- my hand slipped.”</p><p>“You’re bleeding-”</p><p>“It’s just a scratch, I’m fine. Could you put Walnut back in his cage, please?”</p><p>Lev had reached for Yaku’s hand but the latter immediately pulled it away. Yaku was relieved when he saw the syringe was empty, and he wouldn’t have to struggle to hold Walnut’s jaw open again.</p><p>
  <em>That went well.</em>
</p><p>Yaku kept his back to Lev as he opened the small first aid kit on the counter. He tried, again, to ignore the butterflies in his stomach, but he couldn’t ignore the way his face heated up- and Lev made sure to comment on it when he turned back around.</p><p>Yaku really hated the new volunteer program.</p>
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